Lombax Contest Entries
by Soul Rider
Summary: A series of short stories that were entered in contests hosted by a friend on DA. All featuring one thing in common though. Read and enjoy! Some stories are rated T.
1. Organic Obsructions

**This collection of one shots were for contests hosted by a friend on DeviantART. She is a very talented artist with so many great ideas and did so much art for me. And I thought I might as well share the stories here.**

 ** _Ratchet & Clank_ belong to Insomniac Games.**

* * *

1 - **Get that Underwear On!**

Ratchet didn't know whether to be slightly panicked or to be rolling on the floor in laughter. He had come home to find a grey and white lombax in nothing but a bath towel scowling at him from the couch. At first, he was overcome with shock and anger at this stranger until the lombax clarified that it was actually his best friend, Clank. Apparently, Clank had been exposed with some kind of chemical Ratchet had taken home to see if he could use it to make a new kind of rocket fuel. For some strange, unexplainable reason, the chemical turned the robot into the last organic life he touched, which was Ratchet. Now, the grey companion was a lombax himself and was not at all liking this predicament.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Clank finally asked. "Or are you going to help me balance?" He made his point by standing up, or at least trying to stand up. Because of his new weight and MUCH longer legs, the robot-turn-organic was struggling to stand straight, with his knees looking like they're about to give in.

"Okay, hold on a second," Ratchet said, steadying him a bit with a hand on his friend's back and another on his stomach. "I don't know much about biology or physics, but I do know that you will need to try on your own soon."

"Do you think I don't know that?" With Ratchet's help, Clank was able to get to the kitchen. Unfortunately, Clank's towel dropped. Ratchet looked down, unexpectedly seeing something he shouldn't see. He let out a scream of shock, accidentally dropping Clank onto the tile floor.

"Dude, seriously?!" The yellow lombax covered his eyes and his reddening face.

"It wasn't my fault!" Clank too was beginning to blush in embarrassment. While he knew that male creatures have places no one should see, it was still embarrassing. "All I had available was a freaking towel!"

"Stop whining!" Ratchet yelled. "I am NOT doing any more for you until you put some clothes on!"

"And how am I supposed to that when I can't even walk right?!" The young adult groaned and massaged his temple.

"I'll be right back. We can buy you your own clothes when you're able to move on your own." With that, Ratchet disappeared into his bedroom. Clank's now-good lombax hearing allowed him to hear his companion rummaging through his drawers and lightly cursing over the situation. In another minute or so, the yellow feline came out with a simple green sweater, a silver grey vest, blue jeans and a pair of black boxers. Without looking, he tossed them onto the grey lombax. "Don't expect me to help you get dressed. You should know." Clank looked through the clothes, inspecting them.

"Uh…" The white-striped feline lifted up the underwear.

"I'm DEFINITELY not helping you with that!" His friend's face was red again and he scurried to the other room. Clank sighed, knowing that Ratchet really won't do anything until he's presentable. It took a couple of minutes to figure out the combination, but the robot-turn-organic finally got the clothes on right. He though rolled up the sleeves of the sweater and his jeans since they were a little long for his limbs.

"Well, that wasn't so hard. Ratchet, I'm done. You can come back now." In a few minutes, the yellow hero returned to the kitchen. He gave his friend a small smile, followed by a chuckle.

"I thought those could be a little big. Ah, we'll get something more fitting later." Before Ratchet could head to the fridge, Clank gave him a pout while crossing his arms. "What?"

"Can't walk, remember?"

"Sheesh. Talk about lazy."

"I'm not lazy!" Clank argued before his friend helped him stand up.

* * *

2 - **Time for Lunch**

Clank groaned as he laid himself on the couch. Ratchet had been helping him learn how to move around on his much longer legs, which took up the whole morning. Now he was beyond exhaustion. How did organics move around so fluently on nothing more than flesh and bones? That would forever confuse the robot-turn-lombax.

"Clank, could you not hog the whole couch?" Ratchet asked, his green eyes narrowed at his friend.

"My body aches like nothing before, Ratchet. I don't like it."

"That's no excuse. And I suggest you sit up more, unless you want the couch covered in feline hair. You know what a pain it is to get it out of cloth furniture." Clank cringed at the thought. Remembering when he had to clean a large wad of Ratchet's fur off the couch wasn't helping. It took weeks to get it out. How it happened, he never dared to ask.

"Fine." As the grey lombax sat up, there was a low rumble. Clank looked around with a startled expression "What was that?" Ratchet smirked as he sat down next to the robot-turn-organic.

"I don't know. Maybe an explosion far away, or a tiny earthquake."

"Not helping, Ratchet!" The rumble came again, only louder.

"Okay!" the mechanic laughed, unable to contain himself. "That was you! You're hungry!"

"I'm…"

"Come on, you've seen me need to eat before! I thought you knew we organics need to eat."

"I-I do know that! But since I now can't just recharge myself, it's quite new to me in experience!" The mechanic facepalmed with a groan.

"Well, let this first time be a good one with no complaints. I'll whip up a lunch I learned on Veldin." Once again, Ratchet disappeared into the kitchen. Clank could hear the light clambers of the cupboards and the fridge door, followed by the sound of the stove turning on.

In a few minutes, a smoky, spice smell filled the living room. Clank felt something trickle down his chin and wiped it off. His green eyes widened when he realized the wet substance was saliva. He never felt so embarrassed. Clank was drooling.

"Lunch is served!" Ratchet called. Clank quickly wiped the drool on the back of the sweater as the yellow lombax came into the room with two plates of sandwiches, one for each of them. The wheat bread was grilled so it was a golden brown color with the reddish meat still sizzling a little from the heat of the stove. "It's a simple horny toad meat sandwich with a few spices native in Solana. Thank Sasha for sending these as a reminder of Veldin. It's been a while since we've been there."

"Well, maybe when I get a better handle of this new form, we can see if Aphelion can reach that far." Clank's stomach growled again, making Ratchet almost burst out laughing. The robot-turn-organic blushed in embarrassment again.

"Here you go." The mechanic handed his friend the ceramic plate. Clank felt a bit bewildered and spooked by the sudden buildup of saliva in his mouth. Hoping the food would make him stop looking like a malnourished beast, he quickly bit into the sandwich.

Boom.

It was… he couldn't even describe the heat and taste. In a few seconds, the plate was empty. Ratchet looked rather surprised of the grey lombax, until Clank started making a rasp.

"Oh blargs!" Quickly, the yellow hero wrapped his arms around his choking friend and squeezed. After a few strong squeezes, a tiny bone flew out of Clank's throat and he couched in discomfort. "You alright?"

"I've… been through worse," the white striped feline replied with a raspy voice. Then, he realized that Ratchet had pulled him onto his lap while getting the bone out with his arms still around him, causing blush to return to his face. "Uh, Ratchet, you can let go now."

"Why? You looked comfy." A growl escaped the grey feline.

"Knock it off!" With that, Clank yanked himself away from his friend's hold.

* * *

3 - **Hygiene is Necessary**

Clank glared downwards. When he was a robot, he enjoyed this part of the day. Now, his new feline instincts made him not even want to look at it. The room was hot and steamy. And the bath was ready for use.

"Clank, come on," Ratchet called from behind the bathroom door. "I'm really not letting you out of there until you take a bath. You stink."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Clank replied.

"Nope. For two reasons. One, I've grown to like a nice bath or shower. Two, it's payback for you dragging me away from my work whenever you say I'm 'unpresentable.'"

"Aren't you going to give me a few pointers?"

"XJ-0461." Clank groaned and his ears dropped. He knew that when Ratchet said his birth name, that meant that his friend either meant 'Do it yourself' or 'You should know.' The grey lombax just didn't like it.

The robot-turn-organic looked back down at the clear water in the tub. He grumbled something he shouldn't say in a whisper as he placed the towel on the hamper. The grey feline knelt on the edge of the tub, as if the water was toxic. Unfortunately, his balance was still not the best and he found himself falling into the small pool.

Ratchet could hear a loud scream/meow and a splash from the living room. All he could do was chuckle.

"Just like my first bath."

Back in the bathroom, Clank sat up and coughed the water out of his lungs.

"Aw, bolts." The white striped lombax inspected his now soaked fur. It certainly felt different than when he was a robot. The water would just run down his metal frame. With his fur, the water clung to the little hairs on his body. It felt uncomfortable and yet… nice and refreshing. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then, he started to notice the water getting a little cold.

"Better wash up and get it over with." Finding Ratchet's bath soaps and conditioner (specially made for lombax fur), Clank hastily cleaned himself from head to toe. At one point, the water got in his ear, which felt VERY uncomfortable. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the bubbles from the soap that was spreading across the bathroom floor and through the cracks of the door.

"CLANK!" Ratchet's shout rang. The bathroom door was slammed open, revealing an angry, yellow lombax. Clank suddenly thought that the water had just gone completely cold just from his friend's rage. "Did you go crazy with the soap?!" The robot-turn-organic tried hiding behind the veil of bubbles in the tub. "There's suds all over the floor! What are you, a bubble-happy four year-old?!"

"I-it's not my fault! I didn't notice!" Suddenly, a large amount of hot water poured down on the grey lombax's head. "Ouch!" Clank stood up and glared at the mechanic, who was holding a metal bucket. "Alright, first you turn me into a lombax, make fun of me unable to walk, and now you're making me take a bath! What more embarrassing things do you want me to do?!"

Clank didn't expect Ratchet to suddenly turn around, looking almost horrified.

"How about getting the towel back on?" The grey feline looked down at himself and his face went flustered.

"Then GET OUT!" That was enough for the two to switch roles and Ratchet dashed out of the bathroom. However, he did make a mental note: NEVER leave Clank alone with extra-sudsy soap.


	2. Shopping

**Warning. This entry has light slash in it. It was in the rules.**

* * *

"Ratchet, what are we doing here in Meridian City?" a grey lombax with white stripes asked a golden yellow lombax with brown stripes. The yellow companion looked like a spaceship pilot while the grey friend was more casually dressed. Both had green eyes and about the same age."Hey, you were the one that was complaining about not having anything new to wear," the bright furred lombax replied, hoisting several cloth bags up.

"Well, you were the one complaining about how boring my outfits are."/span/p

"Don't you dare start that!" Ratchet then sighed. "It's a girl thing, but we're going to do some shopping for clothes."

"Oh, so we are heading to the Meridian Mall?"

"Yep, and it's got all the best designer clothes! I don't personally do this a lot, as you know, but I do know a good choice when I see one! I even got enough bolts to get accessories!"

"Since when are you a fashionista?"

"I have talents not even you know, Clank."

"Hey, space cadets!" The two froze.

"Not now..." Ratchet groaned in annoyance. He grabbed Clank's hand with his free one. "Come on. If we walk fast enough in this crowd, we'll lose him." The mechanic pulled the robot-turn-organic through the throng of other species.

"Wait! Come back for a second!" they heard Qwark call. Ratchet pulled harder as he picked up speed. Clank felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment from his best friend holding his hand.

"Here we are!" The lombaxes entered the mall quickly. "Sheesh, with all these people, there must be a huge clearance going on."

"Uh, Ratchet, you can let go now," Clank muttered to him.

"Nope, you'd get lost in this crowd. Sorry, I'm not taking chances. Come on. Let's see if we can get any of the good stuff before they're sold out." The yellow feline led his companion to a huge store inside with hundreds of different species inside. "Let's see... Let's head to the back. Looks like barely anyone came over there yet." The partners headed to the less crowded part of the store. "Yeah, these are on clearance. They'll do great."

"You sure?"

"Hey, this one will look nice with your fur. Find some grey jeans and boots and maybe a belt, and this can make the fashion line." Clank saw his friend holding out a light blue vest with a white hood. "We might also have to get a white t shirt to go underneath."

"Well, I admit the material looks soft, but-"

"Wait right here, I'm going to find some boots for you." The white striped lombax groaned as Ratchet immediately left to another part of the store.

"No wonder I got a bad feeling when I saw him carrying all those bags," he mumbled. Clank stared down the racks of jackets and shirts. "Must admit though that this feels very different from food shopping."

"Is that a lombax that's not Ratchet?" he heard someone ask. The former robot turned left to see some robot girls nearby.

"He's adorable. Do you think Ratchet knows him?"

"All I know is that he's cute. But needs a flashier outfit."/span/p

"Oh boy..." Clank had a bad feeling about this. Without thinking, he grabbed a brown and orange jacket that caught his eye and ran to another aisle. This one had the dude pants and hats. "Oh man, I forgot Ratchet told me to stay put. Now what?" He looked down at the jacket he took with him. "Hmm, this looks like it will match Ratchet nicely."

"Oh Clank, there you are!" Clank froze and turned around, hiding the jacket behind him.

"Oh, hey, Captain Qwark. Uh, didn't expect to see you here."

"I saw you earlier, but you must've not heard me."

"Uh, I thought I had heard someone calling to me."

"Where's Ratchet?

"Uh... He's... at that tools department, looking for parts to repair a client's ship. We decided to split up and meet up later."

"Well then, I'll just tag along with you."

"No!" Clank yelped. Ratchet would NOT want to deal with Qwark. The green "hero" looked confused. "Uh, why don't you see Ratchet first? It'd be impolite to go uninvited. And I don't have that right."

"Okay then. And maybe, I can get in a few autographs." With that, Qwark sprinted out of the store.

Clank sighed in relief. His focus went back to the jacket. "Now where was I? Hmm..." The lombax picked up a pair of denim jeans nearby and a pair of shorts. Walking for a bit, he found a table with a clearance on gloves, to which he took a pair of brown, fingerless ones.

"Now what kind of shoes..." The former robot bumped into someone, making them drop their items.

"Clank! Didn't I say to stay put?!" Ratchet scolded.

"Wh-what did you expect me to do when girls are ganging on you?!"

"I didn't expect you to grab clothes, that's for sure."

"W-well, they're not for me! They're-"

"Well, since you're here, let's head to the dressing room to make sure these fit."

"B-but I'm missing something!" Clank blurted as they gathered the fallen clothes. "This needs the right shoes!"

"Then, let's find those shoes!" Ratchet stuffed his items in a bag and gave another bag to Clank, who placed his own items in it.

After finding the matching shoes, the lombaxes went to the crowded dressing room. They heard some people whispering and talking out loud about them. It was making them feel uncomfortable.

When they reached the front of the line, Clank shoved his bag into Ratchet's hand and grabbed the other before rushing into a room. His yellow companion stared in confusion before getting another room.

The grey lombax inspected the clothes his friend chose for him. Some grey skinny jeans and metallic grey boots.

"Wow, he's actually got good taste," he commented. "Guess lifeforms really are unpredictable." Clank slipped off the green turtleneck and put on the white short sleeved shirt.

A few minutes later, the robot-turn-lombax stared at himself in the mirror. He did a few poses for fun.

"Not bad."

"Hey, Clank, you done in there?" Ratchet called.

"Uh, yeah. Be right out." Clank opened the door. He couldn't help but stare in amazement at his friend, who was wearing the very outfit he picked out for him.

"I don't know where you get your taste in clothes, buddy, for being really a robot."

"I get it from you," his grey friend joked. Ratchet blushed a bit in embarrassment. Clank chuckled. "I'm kidding. But thanks for picking these out."

"Back at you."

* * *

In another two hours, the two lombaxes had bags full of different combinations of garments and accessories, enough to make even shopping-crazed girls stare in shock. However, as they stepped out of the store…

"About time you two got out!" The two froze. "Did you go on a fashion raid or something?"

"Just run," Clank whispered. The duo took off as fast as their short legs could take them.

"Oh, come on!" As Ratchet and Clank ran to their ship, they were laughing in amusement.


	3. Down

**A contest first prize winner! Also, the character Gadget belongs to airbax! Warning! This is a song short story!**

* * *

A brooding grey lombax entered the lab his "father" rented for him. His white stripes and red eyes shimmered under the LED lights on the ceiling.

 _Baby, are you_

 _Down down down down down_

 _Down down_

 _Even if the sky is falling down_

Klunk groaned as he sat himself down in front of a lab table and placed a bag on the top. It was a tough semi-mission to collect chemicals that will help him make an antidote for his "squishiness." His annoying "twin" and his aggravating friend had nearly blown up the whole thing. And while it amused him that Clank still wasn't cured either, he was irritated by how much of a sharpshooter he turned out to be.

There was a tap at the metal door of the lab. Klunk knew who it could be and he didn't want to put up with the fellow doppelgänger at the present.

 _You oughta know_

 _Tonight is the night let it go_

 _Put on a show_

 _I wanna see how you lose control_

"Hey, Master," the mechanical lombax called sweetly. Klunk didn't want to reply. "How did your shopping go?" The naive idiot he was. The robot-turn-organic always wondered if he was programmed with any brains. He'll have to ask Nefarious when he returns from one of his less-diabolical schemes.

"Ran into the Meddling Duo again," the red eyed lombax muttered as he pulled the unknown contents from the bag. "I barely got out with my tail between my legs." Klunk heard a growl of disgust.

"What is it about those two that aggravate me so much?" Gadget took the stool next to his master.

"You're not the only one." The partners in most crimes stayed silent as Klunk organized the chemicals.

 _So leave it behind 'cause we_

 _Have a night to get away_

 _So come on and fly with me_

 _As we make our great escape_

"Do you want me to help you this time?" Gadget asked gently. The grey feline bared his canine.

"No. I want to get out of here before you cause more trouble." Even if it was technically an accident, Klunk was still mad at his "sidekick" for turning him into a lombax in the first place. At the corner of his red eye, he saw the mechanical lombax's ears droop and his cheery nature fell. For a moment, he even thought there was the glimmer of emotion in his glass, though very-real like violet orbs.

"I just want to make up for… the accident. I didn't mean for anything of this to happen, master." Klunk rolled his eyes at the other doppelgänger's meekness. Then, he groaned because there was no way he could have a clear conscience with him affecting the atmosphere of the lab.

"Let's take a break." That perked up the mechanical feline a little.

"Say what?"

"I can't think in this room at the moment. Let's take a break." It almost sickened the grey lombax when that stupid, yet for some reason adorable smile became painted on Gadget's face.

"I'll prepare the lunch!" Before Klunk could object, his "sidekick" had already headed to the kitchen on the other side of Nefarious's "secret lair," which was a simple condo in Meridian City. It actually still amazed and annoyed Klunk that none of the defence force looked among their citizens for the criminals.

 _So baby, don't worry_

 _You are my only_

 _You will be lonely_

 _Even if the sky is falling down_

His mind also couldn't say no to his new stomach, which growled furiously. Growling to himself, the robot-turn-organic stood up from the lab stool and went to the dining room. That's when a spicy scent came from the walk in doors to the kitchen. Klunk figured that the only thankful thing about Gadget was that Nefarious programmed him to be able to cook.

The faint sound of the radio caught his organic hearing. The music was turned up a little, if "a little" meant an obnoxious level. The red eyed doppelgänger groaned a bit. He never liked stuff squishies made for the radio.

"Lunch is ready!" Gadget sang as he pretty much skipped gleefully into the dining room. On a silver tray was a bowl of what seemed to be a brown and red kind of gumbo with some small green herbs on top. As Klunk had begun scooping at the quite delicious, meaty meal, the mechanical lombax had that stupid smile again and his tail was swishing happily.

 _You'll be my only_

 _No need to worry_

 _Baby, are you_

 _Down down down down down_

Once the gumbo was gone from the bowl, Klunk noticed his partner pull out a remote with a dial. The mischievous grin on his face made him confused as he turned the knob. At that instant, the music got louder. The "master" couldn't get out the question of what he's doing before Gadget pulled him out of his chair and into the middle of the clean floor.

"Wh-what are you doing, you idiot?!" he asked angrily. He growled mentally when he felt his cheeks get hot.

"Helping you relax, Klunk!" the mechanical lombax responded, but there was a pinch of mischief in his voice. Klunk squeaked in surprise at the reply and the sudden swing from his "sidekick". It took another moment for him to realize that Gadget had suggested dancing with him. The thought made him more pink than grey.

"Why did you…?" After they first met, Klunk had made it clear to Gadget to call him "master," but in that reply, he didn't. He called him Klunk.

"Because I had a moment of clarity while making lunch! You're no stronger than me in this form, or maybe I'M the stronger one now! So I get to have more control than when you were a robot! And as a plus, you don't have a gun in your finger anymore! So you can't shoot me!" The robot-turn-organic's face paled, if it was even possible with his already pale grey and white fur. The nutjob was right and had planned this, if not very quickly! It must be some kind of cruel revenge or something!

 _Down down_

 _Baby, are you_

 _Down down down down down_

 _Down down_

 _Even if the sky is falling down_

Gadget smirked at his dancing partner, a more malicious glint in his eyes. Klunk could only think of what his partner might plan to do with him, now that he really is the stronger one. He felt his heart pound and his spine tingle. Curse these organic organs!

"What a-are you going to do?" the grey lombax dared to ask. Suddenly, the robot-turn-organic was pulled close to the mechanical feline in an embrace. Their red and violet eyes met.

"Just look at you, Klunk." Gadget's face was just inches away. Klunk had begun to panic.

Oh my God! What did Nefarious program him with again?!

"I'm home, boys!" a certain voice boomed through the condo. Quickly, Gadget dropped Klunk onto the floor and used the remote to down the radio. The red eyed lombax glared at his partner's idiocy as the violet eyed robot cleared the table. Just then, their "father" walked in, followed by Lawrence. The evil scientist eyed the position of the room, seeing Klunk on the floor blushing furiously and glaring at Gadget, who looked ever so innocent.

"Dare ask what happened?" Lawrence suggested to his master.

"I'll ask about it later." Klunk almost bared his teeth from embarrassment. Oh, he so knew that Gadget is going to pay for this.


End file.
